This Day in History: August 29

1526 Battle of Mohács: Ottoman Empire Seizes Control Over the Hungarian Empire

In a pivotal battle, the Hungarian Empire is invaded and conquered by the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent. This conquest marks a significant shift in the power dynamics of Eastern Europe.

1825 Portugal Acknowledges Brazil's Independence

In a historical turn of events, Portugal formally recognizes the Independence of Brazil, paving the way for the South American nation's sovereignty and development.

1842 Treaty of Nanking Marks an End to the Opium War

The Treaty of Nanking, signed by Great Britain and China, brings an end to the Opium War, reshaping the geopolitical landscape of East Asia.

1862 Second Battle of Bull Run Erupts in the US Civil War

The Confederate States achieve victory in the Second Battle of Bull Run, fought in Manassas, Virginia. This battle is one of the most pivotal confrontations in the US Civil War.

1949 First Nuclear Test Conducted by the USSR

In a demonstration of force, the USSR performs its inaugural nuclear test at Semipalatinsk in the Kazakh SSR. This escalates the global nuclear arms race at the height of the Cold War.

2005 Hurricane Katrina Devastates US Gulf Coast

Hurricane Katrina makes landfall as a category 3 hurricane, wreaking havoc on much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida Panhandle. The devastating storm results in over 1,836 fatalities and causes damages estimated at over $115 billion.

1988 Abdul Mohmand, First Afghan to Reach Space

Abdul Mohmand, an Afghan Air Force pilot, makes history as the first person from Afghanistan to visit space. As part of the crew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz TM-6, Mohmand spends 9 days at the Mir Space Station.

1982 Synthesis of Meitnerium Achieved for the First Time

The radioactive synthetic element, Meitnerium, is synthesized for the first time at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany. Named after Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who discovered nuclear fission, Meitnerium (atomic number 109 and symbol Mt), is not found naturally and was discovered by a team led by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Münzenberg.

1966 Beatles' Final Commercial Concert

The Beatles, a popular British rock group, perform their last commercial concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The band returns for one final unannounced performance in January 1969 on the rooftop of the Apple building in London.

1949 The Soviet Union Conducts its First Atomic Bomb Test

The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb, code-named Izdeliye 501 or First Lightening, at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. The bomb is suspected to be a replica of the US' Fat Man bomb, brought to the Soviet Union by spies from the Manhattan Project. The US refers to the Russian atomic bomb as Joe-1.

1831 Michael Faraday Discovers Electromagnetic Induction

Michael Faraday, an renowned English scientist and inventor, experimentally confirms that a varying magnetic field can induce voltage in a conductor. This discovery of electromagnetic induction is key to the creation of electric generators, transformers, and induction cook tops. Faraday also discovered Benzene and electrolysis. An SI unit of capacitance – the Farad – is named in his honor.